In with the new: ACC football recruiting breakdown

Football recruiting at North Carolina and Duke follows pretty much the same pattern, but not necessarily the same purpose.

UNC, heading into its fourth season under Coach Butch Davis, is deep into replenishing its program and looking for players who can lead it to an ACC title and BCS bowl game.
Duke is still building as Coach David Cutcliffe heads into his third season and can use immediate help as it tries for its first winning record since 1994.

Both programs are confident that they made progress in the last year, when UNC signed 21 players and Duke added 19.

Wake Forest, meanwhile, has played in the ACC football championship game, and Coach Jim Grobe recruited in the past year to help give his team a chance to get back.

N.C. State hasn't yet reached the title game, but getting there was also on the mind of Coach Tom O'Brien when putting together his latest class.

North Carolina

Davis said that national signing day was very good for his program.

"We filled our needs for the future," he said. "We signed someone for every position except quarterback. This may be more reflective of future classes. We'd like to have classes of 22 or 23 players each year, and replace senior classes of the same size."

SuperPrep ranked UNC's class No. 2 in the ACC.

Davis was especially keen on finding linemen and signed nine, including a tight end. He wanted depth for an offensive line ravaged by injuries last season and depth and speed for the defensive line.

James Hurst of Plainfield, Ind., and T.J. Leifheit of Wilmington, both tackles, were among four players who enrolled in January and went through spring practice.
SuperPrep ranked Hurst (6-5, 285) as the No. 8 lineman in the nation last season and ranked Leifheit (6-7, 315) No. 27. Leifheit also was a member of the N.C. Shrine Bowl team.

Brandon Willis (6-3, 270) heads a group of four defensive linemen. He was headed to Tennessee before a coaching change. He had 127 tackles and 12 sacks as a senior and is one of five SuperPrep All-Americas in the class.

Duke

Cutcliffe was overjoyed on signing day. He had no fears of losing any commitments and, instead of watching a fax machine waiting for letters-of-intent, he and his coaches started working on the classes of 2011 and 2012.

"We had a ton of guys in (summer) camp," Cutcliffe said. "We work them. I want to see their work ethic. I tell our coaches to work them like they're our own. I want them to treat the ground like it's a hot stove."

SuperPrep ranked the class No. 9 in the ACC.

Duke added one SuperPrep All-America, offensive lineman Laken Tomlinson (6-5, 295) from Chicago, and nine players from North Carolina, one of its highest in-state totals in 40 years.

The in-state recruits include lineman Nick Sink (6-5, 250) from Forsyth Country Day. He had 60 tackles and six sacks on defense last season and as a tight end caught 37 passes for 578 yards and seven touchdowns.

Cutcliffe wanted defenders who could generate a strong pass rush and signed six linemen.

"I think we got four guys who are big-time pass rushers," Cutcliffe said. "I'm excited about what that brings."

Wake Forest

In Jim Grobe's nine seasons as coach, he and his staff have sold the program much better than they've sold their ability to sell their program.

Grobe would rather the experts learn how good his players are the same time as everyone else, when they hit the field.

Since 2006, the Deacons have been good enough to win as many or more games (33) than all but three ACC teams (Virginia Tech, Boston College and Georgia Tech) … and that includes the Deacons' first losing season (5-7 last fall) since 2005. SuperPrep relegated the most recent WFU class to No. 10 in the ACC.

The program needed defensive linemen with the graduation of three seniors and signed Duke Mosby and Antonio Ford. Offensive line was also key, with the departure of four players, and the team landed Colin Summers, Dylan Heartsill and Daniel Blitch.

The exit of Riley Skinner left a vacuum at quarterback, and Grobe said at the end of spring practice that recruit Tanner Price would compete for the chance to succeed Skinner. Price led Westlake High of Austin, Tex., - the same school Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints played for - to the 5A state championship game.

Other key Wake signees included linebacker Zachary Allen and cornerback Merrill Noel.

Allen chose Wake Forest over Miami, Tennessee, West Virginia, Purdue, Michigan, Louisville, Mississippi, Pittsburgh and Vanderbilt. Noel, who originally committed to Florida State, also turned down Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Louisville, Michigan, Pittsburgh, Tennessee, Vanderbilt and West Virginia.

"I like this class," Grobe said. "I think it's a very athletic class. I think we've added some good speed and a couple of big guys in there that will help us out front. But, overall, I like the attitude of this class."

N.C. State

N.C. State signed 19 players, including two junior-college transfers, in O'Brien's fourth recruiting class. Another four players, including another JuCo transfer, enrolled in January and went through spring practice, bringing the total of newcomers to 23. SuperPrep ranked the class No. 8 in the ACC.

O'Brien had some of his best results at home. N.C. State signed seniors rated No. 2, No. 3 and No. 9 in SuperPrep's state rankings - Robert Crisp, David Amerson and Anthony Creecy.

O'Brien has always built his teams around strong lines, and Crisp, a 6-7, 299-pounder from Raleigh Athens Drive, is an offensive tackle who could start as a freshman. SuperPrep ranked him as the nation's No. 2 offensive lineman.

Amerson (6-3, 180), played safety at Greensboro Dudley. He had 55 tackles and six interceptions as a senior and 60 tackles and nine interceptions as a junior. He also averaged 14 yards on punt returns as a senior, and SuperPrep ranked him No. 9 in the nation among defensive backs.

Creecy is a 6-0, 196-pound receiver from Durham. In his last two high-school seasons he caught 95 passes for 1,640 yards and 13 touchdowns and also rushed for 406 yards.